I'd assume Rob is using the traditional rating from all of the Wilts guidebooks.

Vogel and Gaines, p.52, rating is 5.1. More for what it's worth stuff: " wouldn't recommend this route to slow parties starting late or new leaders - it takes more route finding, has tougher moves and more difficult pro placements than many other higher grade routes at Tahquitz." From Mt. Project.

No doubt, when you get off route things can off get more difficult. However, without hearing from the climbers, this is speculation.

Uhhhh... I did that route this summer with two friends of mine. We started at 1:00PM on a busy Saturday, and were on top by 3:00PM. Probably only placed about 3 pieces/pitch tops. Did the whole mess in 6 pitches.

People need to stay in the gym till they understand what multi-pitch actually means...

That route probably has about a half dozen different ways you can go. It is good old fashioned climbing. Nothing more, nothing less.

maybe they were free soloing and got lost or stuck? or maybe it got dark and they didn't have headlamps? it does sound strange to get stuck on a 5.4, seems like they should have know how to get themselves out of trouble. Hopefully they'll post somewhere and give us the rest of the story.

maybe they were free soloing and got lost or stuck? or maybe it got dark and they didn't have headlamps? it does sound strange to get stuck on a 5.4, seems like they should have know how to get themselves out of trouble. Hopefully they'll post somewhere and give us the rest of the story.

If they were free soloing this wouldn't have happened I promise you. They were clueless, and had no business getting on something multi pitch. I don't need to hear their "story" to know what happened here.

maybe they were free soloing and got lost or stuck? or maybe it got dark and they didn't have headlamps? it does sound strange to get stuck on a 5.4, seems like they should have know how to get themselves out of trouble. Hopefully they'll post somewhere and give us the rest of the story.

If they were free soloing this wouldn't have happened I promise you. They were clueless, and had no business getting on something multi pitch. I don't need to hear their "story" to know what happened here.

In defense of not finishing a 5.1 -5.4 (what's the difference there anyway?) route, there was a decent storm that came in Sunday night in LA. I don't know what it was like in Tahquitz, but between 2 and 5 pm temps dropped very fast in Los Angeles, and though it was clear around 8 pm in Santa Monica, it was raining very heavily by 2 am or so. This system may have come in faster and been more intense in the mountains. Personally, I would bail or finish the route before getting yanked off by a handful of S&R guys but the weather on Sunday night in the area might help to explain what happened. http://www.weather.com/...ler/monthly/USCA0506

shows pictures of the climbers but doesn't give names, looks like a couple? they have harnesses, rain jackets, fleeces, and headlamps. So I have no idea why they needed SAR, maybe only one could lead and the leader lost their nerve with the rain, and thought it'd be too slick.

maybe they were free soloing and got lost or stuck? or maybe it got dark and they didn't have headlamps? it does sound strange to get stuck on a 5.4, seems like they should have know how to get themselves out of trouble. Hopefully they'll post somewhere and give us the rest of the story.

BTW The report stated that the guys helping form the ground saw the groups headlamps, and also that the rescuers used the stranded groups rope during part of the rescue.

My hunch is a dropped rack or partially dropped rack. The report indicates that at the end "The subjects didnít have much on them so attention turned toward the team". If they had warm jackets and headlamps, it would seem like they were reasonably prepared fro the climb.

Other possiblities...

If only 1 could lead, he might have pulled a muscle, but that probably would have been told to SAR who indicated the climbers were uninjured. Maybee the leader was fatigued and had trouble thinking clearly with darkness and a storm on the horizon. Possibly they got in over their heads and the leader was too affraid to lead a traversing pitch, or the second was affraid of cleaning a traverse? Since the report indicates "Heads up, we have stuck climbers on Tahquitz rock, one pitch from the top. Not called out yet but get ready" indicates they might have doubted the correct path to follow so they called for guidance, (dropped topo?). Not knowing the area might be why dispatch assumed a rescue would be called shortly. Dispatch might have tried to talk them in the right direction but couldn't.

I could easily see a new climber reading about a multi pitch 5.1 climb and think, "I can do that no problem" after a handful of succesful single pitch leads. From what it sounds like, this climb was a bit sandbagged if the rating jumped 3 grades since it's first ascent.

Since they were on a 5.1-5.4 I would think they are very new to trad climbing, and probably only knew the basic climbing aspects and not the "what if" skills they needed. Bailing by headlamp in a storm might have turned ugly and possibly made this SAR into a body recovery. Obviously they were affraid to do anything (climb or rap) and if they had started to panic, I would think that calling SAR might have been a good choice for their situation. Best choice would have been to be better prepared, but that is 20/20 hindsight, which I would think these two now realize.

Hmm, lots of possibilities. Funny, but this thread has me wondering what it would take for me to call for a rescue if I was stuck somewhere.

So far (14 years of climbing) the thought has only occurred once. And the idea of calling for help was so instantaneously and overwhelmingly embarrassing that it immediately cleared my head and actually calmed me down.

So far (14 years of climbing) the thought has only occurred once. And the idea of calling for help was so instantaneously and overwhelmingly embarrassing that it immediately cleared my head and actually calmed me down.

Ego is a decidedly two-edged sword. But if it causes one to calm down and think clearly then no one can argue with that.